


Doctor's Orders

by impish_nature



Category: Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Poisoning, doctor needs a rest, just a doctor looking after his friends and then them looking after him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-04-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:02:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23532013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/impish_nature/pseuds/impish_nature
Summary: Bones is so adamant to look after everyone, he needs to be reminded sometimes to look after himself.
Relationships: James T. Kirk & Leonard "Bones" McCoy & Spock
Comments: 7
Kudos: 45





	Doctor's Orders

He was _exhausted_.

But rest was a luxury he couldn't afford.

Bones scrubbed at his eyes, making sure he was alone in his office before letting the tiredness roll off of him in waves. He sunk into his chair, the only respite he felt able to give himself in that moment. 

It had been a heavy week, one of the heaviest he'd had in a long time. The away team had encountered a venomous creature unlike anything he'd ever seen before and he'd been working tirelessly to keep them all in a stable condition and find an antivenom all at the same time. Which had meant sending more people to the surface of the planet they were currently orbiting and risking more lives, a sure fire way to make his stomach clench and his heart ache. 

His fingers clenched in his hair, his elbows propped up on the desk as he thought back over the week.

He was meant to help people, not send them willingly into danger.

But then again, not one person had argued with the idea. Their captain _and_ their second in command had both been fighting for their lives through fevers and fits and all of them were ready and prepared to help however they could.

That didn't mean it hadn't hurt to make the hard decisions. To watch them come and go, not all of them making it back in one piece as they grabbed the precious materials he required. Each new injured crew member an additional weight on his heart as if he had bitten them himself and caused the damage.

But he'd done it, because he had to. Because it was the best chance they had. Because no matter what he had to get them back. 

He hated it still, hated that it left a sour taste in his mouth. To struggle with the decision as he usually did and have no Spock to goad him about doing the most logical thing when it came down to it.

He was missing the arguments, missing Kirk's rolled eyes and compromising demeanour for them both.

He hated seeing them so silent and still and non-responsive. 

It didn't suit them.

Especially their exuberant captain. 

But it just meant that he'd had to take up their mantles for a while, that was all. His job was to get them healthy and back to themselves again.

So that's what he'd done.

He'd pushed through every sleepless night, drank more coffee than would ever be healthy but as long as he didn't admit to himself he didn't have to admit it to anyone else, and eaten only when someone had shoved something into his hand.

Frankly, he could feel himself slipping past the point of no return. If he wasn't careful, the next time he stood up, he might just crumble to the floor all over again like his strings had been cut.

It had been worth it though.

His efforts hadn't all been for nothing. 

His shoulders relaxed as he scrubbed at his eyes. Kirk had finally opened his eyes yesterday morning, his eyes still glazed with fever and his smile wobbly with weariness but alert and awake more than Bones had dared to hope. It had been a rough seven days but they'd finally cracked it. Sure the recovery process would take time, but with Spock opening his eyes later that same day, he couldn't help but rejoice in the fact that he'd succeeded, that they were OK.

His shoulders tensed again, his mind wandering through strange routes, twisting him in circles and back in loops.

It didn't mean his job was over, far from it. After all, there were still others that had yet to wake, though their vitals were improving, and though Kirk and Spock had awoken, that didn't mean they were out of the woods yet.

If only he could get rid of this blasted headache and close his eyes for a few moments, he could go back to pretending that the world didn't feel like it was crumbling directly on his shoulders.

This was his job, he had to continue.

He had to make sure the people he'd put in danger were safe and sound before he could let himself sleep.

He trusted his team, of course he did, but with blame and guilt thick and heavy in his gut, he couldn't bring himself to give the task over to them.

Just a few more days. A few more days and he was sure that he'd be allowed to rest.

It sounded so tantalising. _Sleep_. Funny really, when before the others had woken up it had sounded repulsive.

He was sure he'd be haunted by their faces, by their feverish nightmares and twisting movements.

Now, he was sure that once he let his body relent, there'd be nothing but dark oblivion.

And didn't that sound like heaven, right about now?

The door to his office made a beep, jolting him from his zoned out thoughts. He sat himself up straight, cursing whoever was outside his door as he rubbed the sleep once more from his eyes and tried to neaten himself up ever so slightly. "Come in."

The face that greeted him was more unexpected than he cared to admit.

Then again, it was so predictable, he was almost ashamed at himself for not expecting it.

"The hell you doing out of bed?"

Kirk cocked a grin at him, leaning heavily against the door. Bones narrowed his eyes as he saw Spock behind him, propped up against one of the empty beds so that he had a view into the room, though it was definitely not the bed he was meant to be in.

"Both of you? I thought Spock at least had some sense to him." Kirk's grin widened as Bones stood up, trying to usher him out of the room without wobbling on his feet. 

Kirk however refused to budge.

"You know, I've heard there's a few crew members pushing themselves past their limits." 

Bones stared at him in disbelief, oblivious to the obvious in his mentally exhausted state. "Yes. I'm looking at them. Now-"

"And what would your orders be, Doctor?"

Bones glared at him suspiciously, Spock's half smile all the more worrying than Kirk's grin. "To get to bed. Doctor's orders." He made a shooing motion at both of them, hating how they looked at each other like they'd won a prize before turning back to him.

"Then I believe, Doctor-" God, Bones hated him. Hated how relieved he was for Spock to argue with him all over again. "That you should get yourself to bed."

"Excuse me?"

"Well as you just said, Doctor's orders. If a crew member is pushing themselves past their limits, they really should get to bed." Spock tapped the bed he was sat on. "Otherwise they might find themselves in the infirmary."

Bones' eye twitched. "I'm fine. It's you two that-"

"I've had a report of how hard you've been working." Kirk tried to stand up straight though the motion was rather lessened by the hand still clutching the door frame. "You need a break, Bones, otherwise you won't be able to look after anyone."

Bones' heart sank at the concern. He wasn't used to Kirk looking at him like that, nor Spock, more the other way around. He glanced around the other beds in the room to get away from the worried expression, the still silent crew members waiting for the treatment to take affect. What would he do if he couldn't help them? What happened when his body gave in and someone else took over? Would the guilt ever leave him for letting them get hurt and not being able to help?

"McCoy?" 

Bones sighed at Spock's words, wondering what else he was about to add. Funnily enough after everything, he wasn't actually ready for one of their arguments. "Yeah?"

"Thank you."

Bones' blinked, staring at him like he'd grown an extra head. "It's my job."

"Yes."

"You're obviously still sick."

"Perhaps." Spock shrugged. "But thank you none the less."

A hand clapped him on the shoulder. "From the sounds of it, you haven't only done your job. Everyone looked to you on what to do, while me and Spock were out of action. I'd say that's far from your job." The hand squeezed. "You did good, Bones, now it's time for you to let someone else take over for a little while."

Bones huffed, raising a tired eyebrow. "What, you? You're in no fit state to be commanding a ship yet, you can hardly stand."

"Look who's talking." Kirk gave him a mock challenging look, daring him to argue. "But no, I meant your team can take over now. You've done your bit- more than your bit- so now you need to take a break."

"Before you die on us."

"I'm not dying, you-" Bones' glared at Spock, his brain short-circuiting. 

"Considering there's no added insult there, I must say you are in dire need of a nap."

"Oh for crying out- Will you two get back to bed if I rest for a bit?"

"Yep." Kirk popped the 'p' like a small child, smiling at Bones' scowl.

"Fine. I guess if it's the only way for my patients to do as they're told, I'll have to."

"It is the most logical outcome."

"Shut up, Spock."


End file.
